Chapter 13 Things
The Guan family.
Guan's parents had been eagerly awaiting the wedding ever since Guan Yi'an went to fetch his bride.
Guan Yi'an did not tell his parents about the outrageous things he had done or that Meng Lingge wanted to break off the engagement, so they always thought that the person they were marrying today was the legitimate daughter of the Prime Minister's family.
The Guan family doesn't have many relatives, so two tables are enough to seat them. In addition, there are four tables reserved for Guan Yi'an's colleagues or friends. However, these guests will first have a banquet at the Prime Minister's residence before coming to the Guan family for the banquet.
The auspicious time had already passed, and not only had Guan Yi'an and his bride not arrived, but none of the guests at the four tables had shown up either.
Guan's parents grew increasingly anxious as they looked at the courtyard and the empty rooms.
They had already planned where to place each item of the dowry, so its delayed arrival suggests that the dowry might be more lavish than they anticipated. What if they couldn't fit it all in the dowry?
After waiting and waiting, they finally saw their son and the bridal sedan chair slowly approaching at the intersection. However, there was no dowry behind the sedan chair as they had expected, and there was not even a single person accompanying them.
Clinging to his last hope, Guan's father asked, "Did you walk too fast and the wedding procession couldn't keep up? I'll go and meet them."
"With so much dowry, how can An'er not wait? What if something happens to her on the way?"
Mother Guan was also anxious. Neither of them glanced at the bridal sedan chair before preparing to go together to welcome the dowry that could never appear.
“There is no dowry.” Guan Yi’an stopped the two of them and said with a forced smile, “The eldest daughter of the Meng family broke off her engagement with me. She married the heir of the Anshun Prince’s Mansion and is now the heir’s wife. Her dowry has been taken to the Anshun Prince’s Mansion.”
"What?" Guan's father raised his voice several decibels: "How could the Prime Minister's Mansion be so untrustworthy and play tricks on others? Yi'an, how can you tolerate this? You write a memorial immediately and submit it to the Emperor to impeach him. I will go to his residence right now and ask him if the Prime Minister can go back on his word and if the Prime Minister's eldest daughter can break off the engagement without a reason?"
This is outrageous!
On the day of the wedding, he broke off the engagement, refused to send the promised dowry, and even made him lose two bolts of cloth and four pieces of clothing as part of the betrothal gifts.
"Don't go." Guan Yi'an looked embarrassed. "It's my fault. I took a fancy to her half-sister and wanted to marry both a wife and a concubine at the same time, which angered her. It's no use saying anything now. I've brought back Meng Huanyan, the illegitimate daughter of the Prime Minister's family. Let's consider today's wedding banquet as the concubine-taking ceremony."
He has already lost enough face today. If his parents cause trouble at the Prime Minister's residence or even in front of the Emperor, his career will be over.
Although the Emperor will certainly know about what happened today, as long as it doesn't reach his ears, it's just a matter of personal conduct. The Emperor might be displeased, but he won't pursue the matter further.
If he performs well in the future, he will still have his day.
"How could you be so foolish?" Father Guan was so angry that his chest ached. He pointed at Guan Yi'an and said, "You've been plotting for so long, and this is the last step. On this last day, how could you not be able to resist? Once you marry the Prime Minister's daughter and have a child, she won't care whether you take a concubine or go to a brothel. Have you lost your mind and ruined things at this last moment?"
"Forget it, scolding him won't do any good. Let's just let this matter drop for now." Even after comforting him, Madam Guan was still heartbroken. "What a waste of so much dowry! I even promised to give some to relatives, and now..."
“Father, Mother, it was my oversight. But the position of the principal wife is still valid. Once this matter has passed, I will marry a woman from a well-off family.”
Guan Yi'an was exhausted. He had a truly miserable day, and instead of comfort, he was met with blame.
But he had no choice but to endure it, otherwise the situation would become even more difficult to manage.
Meng Huanyan sat quietly inside the bridal sedan chair, only able to hear Guan Yi'an whispering to someone in front of the sedan chair, but she couldn't make out what they were saying.
The sedan chair looked alright from the outside, but the inside was very simple, without any armrests or cushions. Fortunately, it wasn't far from the Prime Minister's residence, otherwise she would have thrown up from the bumpy ride.
She was about to be married to the man she loved, and she didn't want to be in a sorry state.
She didn't lie about one thing today: she did indeed fall for Guan Yi'an before Meng Lingge. It was six months ago when the top scholar was parading through the streets. She was in the middle of the crowd when she saw him dressed in a red robe, wearing a palace flower hat, riding a fine horse through the bustling city of the capital, receiving congratulations from the people.
With just one glance, Meng Huanyan made up her mind to win over this man who was both talented and handsome.
Later, Guan Yi'an came to the Prime Minister's mansion to ask for a marriage proposal, but it was for his elder sister. Of course, she would not give up. Through several deliberate chance encounters and flirtatious glances, she successfully won over this rising star of the court with her youth and beauty, captivating him so much that he couldn't bear to be apart from her on their wedding day.
Although there was an unexpected incident today that damaged both of their reputations, the outcome was good. She married the man she loved as she wished, while her elder sister could only pretend to be rich and marry a fool.
That fool probably doesn't even know what the rites of marriage are, right? Unlike her and her husband, tonight's wedding night will surely be an unforgettable and blissful one.
Thinking of this, a blush crept onto her cheeks, and she reached up to pull her collar up a little higher. Guan Yi'an had been too impulsive that morning, leaving a mark on her neck; it wouldn't look good if someone saw it during the wedding ceremony.
She waited patiently for Guan Yi'an to help her out of the sedan chair, but after a long while, Guan Yi'an finally walked up to the sedan chair and said coldly, "Get down, I'll take you inside."
Meng Huanyan guessed that he might still be angry about losing face today, so she didn't care. She gently raised her hand and took Guan Yi'an's arm. After getting off the carriage, she said coquettishly, "Husband, I can't see. Carry me inside."
Her alluring voice could make Guan Yi'an obey her every word; she had already tried it many times this morning in her room.
This time, Guan Yi'an not only ignored her, but also seemed to think she was a disgrace. He grabbed her and dragged her into the courtyard and into the room.
Guan Yi'an used a lot of force, pulling her hand so hard it hurt. She also noticed a detail: Guan Yi'an led her through a side door.
Entering through the side door, there was no wedding ceremony or any other wedding ritual.
Meng Huanyan finally realized something was wrong. She grabbed Guan Yi'an's hand and asked aggrievedly, "Husband, why did you bring me in through the side door? Why didn't you perform the wedding ceremony with me? Why was there no formal ceremony for entering the house? I gave up everything to follow you, husband. What kind of status have you given me?"
Who do you think you are?
With no outsiders around, Guan Yi'an, who was seething with anger, dropped all pretense. He grabbed Meng Huanyan's chin under her veil, his eyes filled with malice.
"Give up everything? Have you brought me anything of value? You have no face, no dowry, no status, what kind of status do you want? Calling you a concubine is too kind of you. With your illicit affair and premarital loss of virginity, you are nothing but a piece of trash!"
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